HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Rep. Howard Sanderford, R-Huntsville, has spent more than two decades representing south Huntsville's District 20 in Montgomery.

He most recently survived a tough challenge in the GOP primary of 2010. Sanderford, a retired IBM manager, has developed a reputation in Montgomery for his long service on something called the Sunset Committee. He ranks that duty among his highest priorities, and did not list many of the more partisan issues prioritized by his colleagues from Madison County.

Here are Sanderford's top three priorities for the coming legislative session:

First: Sanderford for more than 10 years has served as chairman of Sunset Committee, which is charged with deciding whether to abolish or renew or revamp roughly 100 state regulatory boards, overseeing from architects to medical examiners. He said he will be focused this session on ushering through 20 to 25 bills related to renewing those boards, depending on state audits.

"If they are doing a good job we give them a four year extension," he said. If not, they may get a one or two year extension. "Few people really understand (the Sunset Committee) and it's probably one the hardest working committees down there." He said he the last board he could remember failing to win reauthorization and being "sunsetted" would be the barbering board several years ago.

Second: "I'm going to sponsor the private investigator bill," said Sanderford. The bill would set up a new state regulatory board for licensing private investigators. As it stands now, he said, a convicted felon can become a private investigator. He or she just needs a phone number, a business license and an office. This board would establish standards for obtaining a license to practice.

Third: Sanderford plans to support the spay and neuter bill. Sanderford said the state veterinarian board has opposed the four low-cost clinics in state, contending a clinic must be owned by a veterinarian in order to operate. "Which makes no sense," said Sanderford, adding that Huntsville puts down 7,500 animals a year.

Mike Fritz, head of Madison County Animal Control spoke at a legislative forum earlier this week to appeal for support for the low-cost clinics, which he said reduced the number of unwanted pets and saved the county tens of thousands of dollars per year in operating costs at the animal shelter.

Madison County is currently represented by a 12-member delegation. Here's what the others named as their top three priorities for the upcoming session: